Daytona Beach Campus - College of Aviation

Applied Aviation Sciences Department

Facilities

The new Aviation Sciences building (completed in 2002) houses the following Applied Aviation Sciences facilities:

Air Traffic Control Simulation Laboratories house a showcase radar and air traffic control facility, control tower simulator, and air traffic management laboratory created by industry leader Adacel Systems and built to Federal Aviation Administration standards. Embry-Riddle was the first university in the nation to acquire this advanced system.

Air Traffic Management Research Laboratory allows researchers and students using sophisticated software to simulate airspace and airport systems and solve problems such as runway incursions, reduce in-flight fuel costs, and streamline ground operations.

Weather Center which is linked to a remote weather observation station on the roof of the building and to basic and advanced Meteorology Laboratories, enables faculty and students to display integrated weather data in real time.

Air Traffic Control Simulation Laboratory

The ATC simulation lab was funded by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant. The equipment is supplied by Wesson International, an Austin, Texas, based company. The Terminal Radar Approach Control Pro™ ( TRACON Pro™) simulator at the lab is an evolution of the popular TRACON for Windows computer game from Wesson, but is a professional standard, state-of-the-art radar simulator.

The simulation laboratory features 32 simulator workstations, including 15 controller stations, 15 pilot stations, and two instructor workstations, located in an adjacent room. The primary display is a 21-inch high-resolution color monitor, with a 14-inch monochrome monitor located next to it for weather and airport information display. The workstations also feature a fully functional ARTS-IIIA keyboard and an auxiliary standard PC-101 keyboard. The pseudo-pilot stations located upstairs are identical to the controller stations, except for the consoles, and have a smaller, 17-inch, display and only a standard PC keyboard.

All stations are connected by a Lantastic network interface system for communication between positions. This allows a realistic sectorization of the airspace where several students will work together on one simulation, coordinating traffic flows with each other and handing off aircraft between the sectors. Additionally, voice communications between the controllers and the pseudo-pilots are provided by an intercom system using headset/microphones. Standard paper flight strips are used and they can be printed either prior to the simulation or continuously during it, ten minutes before the aircraft enter the controllers' sector.

Configuring the system for simulation of different airspaces is easy. Normal aeronautical charts can be electronically scanned and used as a basis for the airspace and radar map layout. Additional fixes, airways, and airports can be programmed in according to their respective lat/long coordinates. Programming of realistic traffic flows, including Standard Instrument Departure (SID) routes and Standard Terminal Arrivals (STAR), aircraft type libraries with realistic performance characteristics, and various weather conditions is straightforward as well.

The simulator and the ATC laboratory not only provides the students at ERAU an outstanding opportunity to familiarize themselves with air traffic control operations, but is also an important resource for ATC research in the University. The system has already been successfully used for several experimental designs and research for Masters' programs.

Operational Weather Cafe

Web site maintained for meteorology students and staff
 (see Resources page for link)